This invention relates to a tag feeding system or tag feeder to be attached to or mounted on an edge stitching machine to feed fabric tags (for indicating fabric material, manufacturer, brand name, washing conditions, etc.) onto a side edge of a fabric product such as a towel or scarf to be sewn thereon.
A tiny fabric piece (2 cmxc3x974 cm or so) of tag is generally fed and sewn on a side edge of a fabric product such as a towel or scarf concurrently with the hem stitching of the towel or scarf. Such a tag may provide information on the quality, manufacturer, washing conditions, etc. of the fabric product.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 63-125289 teaches a tag feeding system, where tags are provided separately in a pile and fed one by one on side edges of fabric products from the tag pile. Feeding tiny tags 2 cmxc3x974 cm or so one by one accurately is no easy task. An improvement was proposed as shown in FIG. 13, where a long train of such tags are prepared to be cut and separated just before their individual attachment onto side edges of fabric products.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 1-121090 teaches a tag feeder for a sewing machine which utilizes such a train of tags. As FIG. 15 shows, a train of tags 100 are fed into a tag receiver 20 provided over an edge stitching apparatus 10 of a sewing machine 1. The train of tags 100 are then cut and individually held by a tag holder 30 provided between the tag receiver 20 and the edge stitching apparatus 10 which includes an actuator 31 having an actuator rod 31a where a tag clamp 32 is attached. The tag holder 30 is then turned vertically around a horizontally provided shaft 13 so that the actuator rod 31a faces the edge stitching apparatus 10 in order to provide a tag 100 at a time on a side edge of a fabric product.
The tag feeder of Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 1-121090 was conceived with a view to obviating shortcomings of a conventional tag feeding system. Tags must be fed on side edges of fabric products at right moments as an edge stitching apparatus stitches the side edges of the fabric products, for which each tag must wait for its turn above the stitching apparatus in a position and orientation so as not to hinder the sight of or interfere with the stitching operation of the edge stitching apparatus. The actuator rod of an actuator must be held in a retracted position until the tag is required. A problem peculiar to a conventional tag feeding system is that it requires a xe2x80x9cconsiderablexe2x80x9d time for the actuator rod to be ready to feed the tag on a side edge of a fabric product at a precise timing and position and that the accurate adjustment of the tag feeding timing and positioning is very problematical and difficult, especially in a xe2x80x9cfastxe2x80x9d edge stitching operation.
An object of the tag feeder of the above publication 1-121090 is to obviate the problems associated with such a delay in tag feeding and accurate provision of tags. The tag feeder of the publication holds a tag with a tag holder including an actuator having an actuator rod with a tag clamp on the distal end thereof. The tag holder turns vertically and advances the actuator rod having a tag at the tag clamp toward a side edge of a fabric product where the tag is to be sewn. Advancement of the actuator rod is detected by a positioning sensor and controlled on the way.
The tag feeding system according to Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 1-121090 is still susceptible to delay in feeding tags as the distance between the stitching apparatus 10 and tag feeder 20 is considerable. And since the tag feeding system is very complicated in structure, the tag feeding system is that much more likely to malfunction, partly due to yarn ravelings or cotton waste produced during the edge stitching operation, especially in a fast-type edge stitching operation.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 7-124356 discloses a tag feeding assistant device to alleviate the foregoing problems. This device facilitates feeding of not only tags but also other product members such as tapes, rubber strings or strips or lace strings to a stitching apparatus of a sewing machine. An aim of this feeding assistant device is to stabilize the feeding amount under a fast stitching operation by preventing excessive feeding through introduction of a one-way clutch. As shown in FIG. 16, an intermediate shaft having two eccentric portions with their phase opposite to each other is provided between a main shaft and a feeder roll shaft. Each eccentric portion is provided with a swing arm. The intermediate shaft is controlled by reduction gears to turn at half the turning rate of the main shaft. This system is capable of adequately coping with a conventional fast stitching operation to a certain degree.
The feeding assistant device of Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 7-124356, however, will not be able to cope with a very fast hem stitching system. The applicant has previously proposed a towel hem stitching apparatus which is automatic and capable of coping with a very fast hem stitching. The feeding assistant device of the foregoing publication cannot be utilized in the applicant""s very fast hem stitching apparatus.
The hem stitching apparatus proposed by the applicant is partially shown in FIG. 14. A towel material 211 is placed on a table 200 with a tag 220 fed precisely along an edge of the towel material 211. The tag 220 and the towel material 211 are pressed against the work table 200 with a press disk 230. The press disk 230 turns on the work table 200 so that, as the four side edges of the towel material 211 are stitched, the tag 220 is sewn concurrently.
FIG. 12 shows in more detail how tags are sewn on side edges of towel materials 210 with the hem stitching apparatus of the applicant, FIG. 12(A) showing stitching of a dual type tag and FIG. 12(B) showing stitching of a single type tag. Such tag sewing requires a precision tag feeding apparatus for quick but accurate positioning and orientation of tags 220 on the towel materials 210 as shown in FIG. 14.
Conventional tag feeders such as shown in FIGS. 15 and 16 require very troublesome and time-consuming adjustment for precise positioning and orientation of tags each time the shape and/or size of tags or fabric products are changed. In addition, such conventional tag feeders will likely interfere with operation of hem stitching apparatus such as introduced by the applicant, rendering utilization of such a conventional tag feeder on the applicant""s very fast type hem stitching machine to be very difficult, if not impossible.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a tag feeder that can be utilized in a very fast and precise tag/edge stitching operation.
It is an additional object of the present invention to provide a simple and easy-to-adjust tag feeder as claimed in claim 1, which is capable to smoothly feed tags at a high speed and to be easily adjusted according to the size and/or shape of the tag.
It is an additional object of the present invention to provide a tag feeder as claimed in claim 2, which possesses an additional feature of very accurately feeding tags without interference with an edge stitching machine.
A tag feeder of the present invention is described hereunder using the attached drawings for convenience of description and to assist understanding of the invention.
A tag feeder 100 (as claimed in claim 1) cuts off each tag 220 from an elongated tag strip 220a, feeds the tag 220 on a work table 200 mounting a fabric material 211, and makes the tag 220 ready to be sewn on a side edge of the fabric material 211.
As best shown in FIG. 5, the tag feeder 100 comprises a pair of feed rolls 10 for initially drawing the tag strip 220a, a mark sensor 20 which reads sensor marks 221 provided at equal intervals on the tag strip 220a, a tag cutter 30 which cuts off and separates individual tags 220 from the tag strip 220a, a tag pusher 40 which pushes the tag strip 220a sideways, and a tag receiver 50 which receives a pushed portion of the tag strip 220a and sandwiches the tag portion with a feed belt 51 provided above the tag receiver 50.
The tag feeder 100 set forth above places a tag portion 220 onto the tag receiver 50 as pushed by the tag pusher 40 and then cuts off the tag portion 220 from the elongated tag strip 220a with the tag cutter 30. The tag portion 220 is then sent toward a fabric material 211 on the work table 200 with the feed belt 51 and accurately positioned on a side edge of the fabric material to be sewn thereon.
The tag feeder 100 of the present invention is described in more detail hereunder. Tags 220 may be attached to fabric products 210 in a double-ply form as shown in FIG. 12(A) or a single-ply form as shown in FIG. 12(B). The tag feeder 100 of the invention is described first in the case of a double-ply form and then in the case of a single-ply form.
(Double-Ply Form)
There is shown in FIG. 1 a tag feeder 100 for feeding double-ply form of tags which is installed on a hem or edge stitching machine (not shown) proximate to the stitching portion (not shown) or a work table 200 of the edge stitching machine that receives fabric materials 211 to be edge treated. As shown in FIG. 14, the fabric material 211 on the work table 200 is sandwiched and pressed together with a double-ply tag 220 provided on a side edge thereof with a press plate 230, which turns the fabric material 211 on the work table 200 so that all side edges of the fabric material 211 are processed and the double-ply tag 220 is sewn on the side edge concurrently as shown in FIG. 12.
Each tag 220 is to be cut off along a cut line 223 from a tag strip 220a as shown in FIG. 13(A) and to be folded along a fold line 224. The tag strip 220a is preferably reeled and housed in a tag storage box 60 shown in FIG. 1. An end portion of the tag strip 220a is drawn from the storage box 60, run along a machine frame 70, and passed and pinched between a pair of feed rolls 10 as shown in FIG. 6 mounted on an upper portion of the machine frame 70. One of the feed rolls 10 is driven by a pulse motor 11 via a belt means. The pulse motor 11 is controlled by a mark sensor 20 to be described in detail later. The feed rolls 10 are pressed against each other with a pressure cylinder 12 such that the tag strip 220a may be smoothly sent forward between the feed rolls 10 without deformation.
The tag strip 220a is provided with sensor marks 221 at equal intervals as shown in FIG. 13(A). When a mark 221 is sensed by a mark sensor 20, a signal is generated and transmitted at an appropriate timing to the pulse motor 11 to stop the feed rolls 10. It is preferred that the sensor marks 221 are provided on the cut lines 223 as shown in FIG. 13.
The processes of the tag cutting and folding are described in more detail using FIGS. 6-10. As the tag strip 220a is sent forward (downward) with the feed rolls 10 as shown in FIG. 6, the foremost (lowest) sensor mark 221 is detected by the mark sensor 20 and the tag strip 220a stops at the position shown in FIG. 7. The cut line 223 and the sensor mark 221 thereon are positioned between a pair of blades of a tag cutter 30 to be cut off therealong.
Then a tag pusher 40 presses the tag strip 220a along the fold line 224 and pushes a distal tag strip portion 220 sideways between a tag receiver 50 and a feed belt 51 provided on the tag receiver 50 as shown in FIG. 8 while the tag strip 220a is held firmly between the feed rolls 10 which are pressed toward each other by the pressure cylinder 40.
When the tag portion 220 is adequately pushed forward (leftward) with the tag pusher 40 and held firm between the feed belt 51 and the tag receiver 50, the tag pusher 40 retracts and the tag cutter 30 cuts off the tag portion 220 from the tag strip 220a along the cut line 223 as shown in FIG. 9, leaving the cut and folded tag 220 between the tag receiver 50 and the feed belt 51. It is noted that the surfaces of the tag receiver 50 and the feed belt 51 are appropriately textured to firmly hold the tag 220 between the feed belt 51 and the tag receiver 50 when the tag pusher 40 retracts in order to prevent dislocation or deformation of the tag 220.
When the tag pusher 40 fully retreats from between the tag receiver 50 and the feed belt 51, and the tag 220 is cut off from the tag strip 220a, a rotary cylinder 55 provided in the vicinity of the feed belt 51 drives the feed belt 51 via a belt means to send the folded tag 220 toward the tag sewing section as shown in FIG. 10. The tag 220 is to be finally placed on a side edge of a fabric material 211 placed on the work table 200 shown in FIG. 1.
The distance that the tag pusher 40 can travel forward to push the tag portion 220 on the tag receiver 50 is controlled by a threaded stopper 45 provided under the tag pusher 40 which restricts the movement of the tag pusher 40 at a set position. The stopper 45 is in thread engagement with a threaded stroke controller 44 which extends below and along the tag pusher 40. The rear end of the stroke controller 44 is exposed from the machine frame 70 and provided with a knob so as to be turned with fingers and move the stopper 45 back and forth. Thus, the distance that the tag pusher 40 travels forward can be easily adjusted by turning the knob of the stroke controller 44 according to the shape and/or size of the tag 220 or the position of the work table 200 in relation with the tag feeder 100.
(Single-Ply Form)
When the tag 220 is to be sewn in a single-ply form on a fabric material 211 as shown in FIG. 12(B), the tag feeder 100 functions as shown in FIG. 11. As the single-ply tag 220 (FIG. 13(B)) is shorter than or roughly half the double-ply tag 220 (FIG. 13 (A)), the single-ply tag 220 will eventually be provided in a singly-ply form between the tag receiver 50 and feed belt 51 when pushed therebetween with the tag pusher 40 as shown in FIG. 11.
The tag pusher 40 is then drawn out from between the tag receiver 50 and the feed belt 51, leaving the single-ply tag 220 therebetween. The tag cutter 30 cuts off the tag portion 220 from the tag strip 220a along a corresponding cut line 223. There will be no wrinkling on the single-ply tag 220 as there is provided an appropriate measure on the surfaces of the feed belt 51 and the tag receiver 50 to prevent deformation of the tag 220.
The single-ply tag 220 is sent onto the work table 200 by the feed belt 51 and accurately placed on a side edge of a fabric material 211 to be pressed with the press plate 230 together with the fabric material 211.
The tag pusher 40 facilitates feeding of either a single-ply tag 220 or a double-ply tag 220 onto a fabric material 211. Simple adjustment of the forward movement of the tag pusher 40 by means of the stopper 45 and the stroke controller 44 provides adjustment of the tag feeder 100 in accordance with the size and shape of the tag 220.
In addition, by adjusting the lengths as appropriate of the tag receiver 50 and the feed belt 51 as well as the driving range of the rotary cylinder 55 which drives the feed belt 51, the distance that the tag 220 is carried from the tag receiver 50 to a side edge of a fabric material 211 can be adjusted as desired. If desired, the tag receiver 50 and the feed belt 51 may be extended to provide a xe2x80x9clongxe2x80x9d distance between the work table 200 and the tag receiver 50 so as to prevent any interference between the tag feeder 100 and a hem stitching machine.
A further improvement the tag feeder 100 of the present invention is proposed. In a tag feeder 100 as claimed in claim 2, the tag receiver 50 slants downward toward the work table 200 after the tag portion 220 is cut off from the tag strip 220a as shown in FIG. 2 so that the distal end of the tag receiver 50 approaches the work table 200 to more reliably and accurately provide the tag 220 onto a side edge of a fabric material 211.
In the tag feeder 100 shown in FIG. 2, the tag receiver 50 together with the feedbelt 51 is pulled downward by a tilting cylinder 54 such that the tag receiver 50 pivots and slants downward distally. The tag feeder 100 can then feed a tag 220, either a single-ply or double-ply tag 220, on a side edge of a fabric material 211 very reliably.
An advantage expected of such a slanting feature of the tag receiver 50 is that the work table 200 can be held clear of any interference with the tag feeder 100, where without the reclining feature the relative orientation of the distal end of the tag receiver 50 and the work table 200 will more likely generate interference in operation.